The Irish standard., 1887-12-10
HOW TO GOVERN IRELAND.
MIR. Michael Davitt Propounds an
Original Scheme Of
t1nyeTnme
PROTESTANT REPRESENTATION.
t1nyemmeu

Th1es Parties in the National Assem-
bly-First Duty of the New
Parliament.
T. z. Gill, M. p, cables to the N \.
Tribune the following under a recent
date:
Alr. Davitt has favored me with the
manuscript Of most interesting lee
ture on the work of an Irish Parliament
which he delivered in Limerick, L ap-
pend some extracts. MIR. Davitt de-
cjaras himself against double cham
ber, and the principle Of voting by first
and second orders contained in Mr..
Gladstone Is bill. He says: 1t is surely
possible fully and fairly to safeguard
the rights Of the minority in Ireland
without violating the principles OF Con-
stitutional government. am certain
that no Nationalist objects to any
practicable provision which will insure
to QUE Protestant fellow-countrynaen
the fullest representation to which their
numbers entitle them.
twenty-five per cent. OF t}1e entire
representation i'll the national assembly
could be guaranteed to them. This
would be more than the minority pop
1lIation could justly claim, but [ am
sure that this number would not ba
objected to by {hs Catholic portion OF
the community. To insure also that
the .protestants of the South and West
should be as fully represented as these
of the north a 'sscrutin de liste'' system
of election could be provided by aid OF
which the ablest champions Of the
minority could be- voted for in Con
naugh5 and Munster as freely as in the
most Protestant part Of Ulster.
In the legislature Of, say 500 members.
the minority would thus have n com.
pact party # seventy five, comprising
the best ability within it's ranks, and
when what is now known as the Ma
tional Or Home Rule party would be
certain to be divided into two Or three
parties in q national assembly it would
not at ali be improbable to ind the
minority representation holding more
or less Of the balance Of power The
division % parties in the National as
seulhly would be as follows:
THEEE PARTIES IN TIRE NATIONAL.
ASSEMBLY,
First party-A Conservative Natiou-
alist party. This consideration would
be conservative in the sense that it
would be the party that would be
elected by the constituencies which
would desire to see the men in power
through whose influence the Home
Ru!e constitution would have bean won.
1t would, of course, be the first in
power, and would probably remain in
office until the prestige attaching to it
should weaken its hold on the country.
MI. ParueI! would be the leader Of
such a Conservative National party,
/ to whose task would fall the work of
placing the country we'll upon The pa,h
of It's new sef-gpverning career. Be-
hind such a party there would be the
great influences OF the Churches,
Catholic and Protestant, and the prop
erSv and commercial classes, and Of
course, the services of the legal fra
ternity.
Second party-This would be DEM
ocratic or RADICAL Nationalist party
sub divided into two groups, one hold
ing advanced views upon social and
educ ,tional questions and upon meth
DIS of administrative government; the
other having separatist tendencies.
This combination as parliamentary
party would not be irreconcilably op-
posed to the limited constitution. The
more limited the measure of self gov
ernment that would be granted to Ire
land the less would grow the desire for
total severance between Ireland and
Great Britain. This second party
would be essentially one Of reform. 1t
would probably find its chief support
from the smaller farming interests, the
agricultural laborers and the artisans
| and mechanics of our towns.
Third party-The third party in an
Irish Parliament would comprise the
representatives of those who are now
opposed to Home Rule. 1t might as
sumo the name of the Pro-English
party. In the high education of it's
members and in the sub division of the
other parties upon conflicting issues,
this third party would command enor-
nous Influence in the national legisla-
ture. It's policy or mission might be
TO work for the status quo ante,::'
though il IS sincerely to be hoped that
|it.would adopt programme more to
the advantage Of the peace and welfare
lof the count Il could exercise g ,